A Walk in the Woods
by Miscellaneous Thief
Summary: "Oh, but won't you stay?" The wolf sneered in a husky tone, "It's been so long since I've had anyone to play with." Chloe gulped, her every instinct shouting at her to run. "You know, I r-really have to get going. The Bears are expecting me. I shouldn't make them wait." It was supposed to be a nice day for Chloe. How on earth did she end up in this mess?


A/N: Holy crud buckets, this is the first fanfiction in this category. How often to you get to say that? Especially in a show that I predict is probably going to reach Star Vs. or Steven Universe level. Well, for getting to claim the title of "First Fanfic Within of a Show," I sure hope you guys like it.

Oh also, my headcannon for this show is that most animals possess some amount of intelligence (as seen in "Food Truck," when the wild animals figured out the money system) but some animals, like the Bears and Nom Nom, have a higher intelligence that allows them to talk and fit in within human society.

* * *

It was just supposed to be a nice day, Chloe reflected.

Really, it couldn't have been any easier. She was supposed to finish class for the day, take the bus to the edge of town, cut through the forest, and arrive at the cave in time to watch the marathon of that new show Grizz was so intent on sharing with her, Of course, as Chloe had experienced ( _especially_ when the Bears were involved) life often liked to throw unexpected wrenches into her carefully thought-out plans. Like today, for example.

Chloe had managed to make it all the way to the woods without any trouble. Normally, if she did run into trouble, it would be from rowdy college boys making fun of her size or concerned women on the bus asking if she was okay traveling by herself. It infuriated her to no extent. Just because she was short didn't mean she couldn't handle herself.

The unfortunate part about this length of the trip is that the Bears' cave was located a decent way into the woods, making it about a twenty minute or so walk from the bus stop, depending on the day. Chloe didn't mind the walk though; she enjoyed the peace and quiet that the city she had grown up in couldn't offer.

About ten minutes into her walk she reached a part of the woods where the trees knitted themselves into close bundles, which, with its many leaves and branches, created a thick ceiling that effectively blocked out the sunlight. Though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, this part of the journey always creeped her out a little. She was glad that the Bears' decided to live in a clearing where the sun shone and the trees were more spaced out. A cold wind blew through the area, causing Chloe to shudder as she zipped her jacket up a little more.

Chloe was stepping over a large tree root that blocked her path when the sound of a twig snapping caused her to pause in her steps. Fear stroke her as she looked around for the source of the noise. Finding nothing, she shook her fear off with a shaky laugh.

"I've been watching too many late night horror movies." Chloe mused to herself nervously. "That was probably just a squirrel or something. No need to panic or anything."

"Are you so sure about that, _little girl_?" A low voice taunted from behind her.

Chloe yelped and spun around, nearly falling backwards as she came face to face with quite possibly the largest wolf she'd ever seen. She took a few steps back to distance herself, her eyes not leaving the glowing yellow eyes of the wolf. They stood like that for a few seconds, the wolf smirking and Chloe staring, afraid to look away. Finally, Chloe broke the uneasy silence.

"Um, hi," Chloe greeted anxiously. "I'm just trying to get to my friends house, so if you'd please let me through that would be great."

"Oh, but won't you stay?" The wolf sneered in a husky tone, "It's been so long since I've had anyone to _play with_."

Chloe gulped, her every instinct shouting at her to run. "You know, I r-really have to get going. The Bears are expecting me. I shouldn't make them wait."

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind," The wolf replied, stepping closer to Chloe. Chloe responded by taking steps backwards until her back bumped into a tree. "I'll just let them know that your old pal Wolfe was holding you up."

"Um, n-no thanks," Chloe declined, her fear growing every second. "Please, I really need to go."

Wolfe's sadistic smirk seen to grow even more as he sunk back in a pounce position. "What a shame. I really wanted to play _tag!_ "

On the last word, Wolfe pounced, trying to tackle Chloe between his paws. Chloe, sensing the move before he actually set the motion, was able to avoid the attack by sliding under Wolfe as he leaped. Sometimes being short had its advantages. Gaining her footing once more, Chloe tore through the forest in the direction of the Bears' cave. As she ran, she heard Wolfe's angry snarl as he chased after her.

"Bears!" Chloe shouted desperately. "Ice Bear, Grizz, Panda, anyone! Help!"

Chloe ran as fast as her tiny legs would carry her, but she was no match for the natural predator of the woods. She had barely made it one hundred feet before Wolfe snagged her by her backpack hook, causing her to cry out in surprise as she was suddenly pulled backwards. Chloe tried to struggle, but it was no use. Before she could comprehend what was happening, Wolfe shoved her into the bark of a nearby tree. Chloe let out a painful yelp at the contact.

"Look here, little girl," Wolfe purred, pinning her to the tree with one arm, "I was going to be content with just eating, oh I don't know, an arm or something and let you go, but then you had to try and run. Now I'm not in such a giving mood, so I guess I'm just going to have to _kill you_."

"P-please d-don't," Chloe begged, tears pouring out of her eyes. "I don't w-want to die."

"What a pathetic disgrace you are," Wolfe scoffed disdainfully. "You should be thankful I'm putting you out of your misery."

Wolfe shifted his arm so that Chloe's bare neck was visible, then swung back the arm that wasn't holding her in preparation of slicing her neck open. Chloe let out one last, sorrowful whimper and squeezed her eyes shut, being unwilling to stare death in the face. Subconsciously, Chloe registered an enraged growl that came from a short distance away, but her conscious ignored it.

The tip of Wolfe's claw had just scratched her neck when suddenly his grip on her left and she tumbled to the ground. Her eyes flew open, searching for the cause of her sudden freedom, then widened at the sight they saw. Ice Bear was standing protectively in front of her, seething with rage as he swung his axe in threatening circles.

"No one hurts Ice Bear's friends." He said simply, before launching himself on Wolfe in an attack.

Chloe looked away, her mind being unwilling to see the violence and blood shed she knew was happening before her. The sounds of fighting, growls, yelps, and whimpers filled the area, but she still refused to look. Finally, there was the sound of a single yelp and the forest grew quiet once more.

Though she knew that Ice Bear could probably take anyone on in a fight, she still hid her face in her arms, afraid to look and see Ice Bear's dead body. She heard the sounds of someone walking over to her, and she tried to curl into an even tighter ball. A paw touched her shoulder, and she flinched, letting out another whimper.

"Chloe." An uncharacteristically soft voice beckoned, and Chloe let her eyes open. She gasped when she realized it was Ice Bear standing in front of her and, aside from his now ruffled fur, he appeared unharmed. He stared at her, concerned.

He lightly brushed a single digit under Chloe's neck, and let out what Chloe swore was a whimper of his own when it came back with blood. Ice bear crouched down to get a better look, being as gentle as could while he examined the wound..

"This will not need stitches." Ice Bear announced with a hint of relief. "Is Chloe okay?"

"Aside from the bruises and nightmares I'm bound to get?" She replied in a small voice. "Yeah, I'm…. I'm fine. Thank you, Ice Bear."

In a move that surprised her, Ice Bear scooped her in a sudden, crushing hug. "Ice Bear is glad that Chloe is okay."

Without putting her down, he stood up on his back paws and began passed by the body of Wolfe, and Chloe almost looked, but Ice Bear's paw covered her eyes suddenly.

"Don't look." Was all he explained, and Chloe obliged.

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit Chloe as the adrenaline rush wore off. She yawned tiredly, before nestling deeper into the crook of Ice Bear's arms. She let out a content sigh as she felt herself slipping into sleep. The last thing she registered before she surrendered completely to her slumber was one last, reassuring squeeze from Ice Bear. She was glad that she had someone to protect her.

* * *

A/N: Well, there you have it. I feel like I wrote Chloe and Wolfe (who my boyfriend insists is the wolf version of Lex Luthor) pretty well, but something about Ice Bear just feels off to me. I feel like I wrote him OOC, but I can't figure out why. But, to be fair, we do know the least about Ice Bear's character at the moment because he's had the least amount of dialogue. I'll be able to write him better once I get a grasp of his personality.

Anyway, that's enough ranting from me. Who wants to see a possible sequel chapter complete with Panda freaking out, impromptu sleepovers, protective bears, and a whole lot of fluff? If you do, go ahead and leave a review. Or leave a review anyway; they make me incredibly happy whenever I see one.


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